Onex vs. Altas in Canada

Seems like these are the only shops in Canada that compete with US UMM firms and want to get more info on both for associate roles in Toronto. Some initial thoughts:

Onex:

- Larger fund, public co, better brand name 

- Established associate program with chance to work on large deals like West Jet 

- Downsides are performance issues + not growing fund size, and seems like firm is hiring a lot more in NY/London instead of Toronto 

Altas:

- Growing fast ($1B to $3B to $5B fund size in the span of ~5y)

- Probably easier to move up since there are less mid-level people than Onex

- Better culture than Onex 

- Downsides are limited brand name and less exit optionality as an associate, and heard pay is below street 

3 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Just some thoughts on what you have already posted.

Onex:

Performance: Not sure they really have performance issues. Gross MOC's are around 2.0x on their funds, with fund V being down probably due to West Jet exposure. That should recover post-pandemic.

Mobility: Upwards mobility is actually quite good at Onex, they don't require MBAs and will promote internally if you perform.

Altas:

Mobility: Would disagree with you here. Last time I checked their team page there was only 1 person promoted past Associate to mid level, rest are all in corp dev now. 

 

Assumenda natus autem veritatis cumque maxime quis et culpa. Eos iure minus labore ratione quibusdam. Quis eius sit enim ratione eius.

Omnis vel quo soluta aut soluta et aperiam. Modi rerum aliquam praesentium. Quae omnis at ipsa in accusantium.

Voluptatibus quisquam ipsa ut. Nemo est enim repudiandae veritatis. Explicabo dolorem ea fugiat quia. Dolor rerum distinctio eum deleniti. In hic facere neque voluptatem.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (99) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (355) $61
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”